“A leader with great passion and few skills always outperforms a leader with great skills and no passion.”

“Your attitude is like the minds paintbrush. It can paint everything in bright, vibrant colors-creating a masterspiece.”

“The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it.”

“Improving your abilities in high-priority areas is always a good investment in yourself that will pay off in the long run.”

“Happiness simply cannot be relied upon as a measure of success.”

“there is no future in any job. The future lies in the man who holds the job.”

“The Cost and Expectation of Leadership Leviticus 7:33–35 Aaron, like many leaders throughout history, received a divine calling. God chose Aaron and his sons to serve as Israel’s priests and charged them with carrying out rituals and sacrifices on behalf of all Israelites. Scripture gives meticulous detail to their ordination and calling. Their conduct was to be beyond reproach—and God made it crystal clear that failure to uphold His established guidelines would result in death. Numerous accounts in the Book of Leviticus demonstrate the high cost and expectation that goes with a holy calling to leadership positions. As the high priest, Aaron was the only one authorized to enter the Most Holy Place and appear before the very presence of God. The Lord set Aaron apart for his holy work. Despite his high calling, Aaron struggled with his authority and later caved in to the depraved wishes of the people. He failed at a crucial juncture and led Israel in a pagan worship service, an abomination that led to the deaths of many Israelites. Aaron had been set apart for God’s service, but he chose to live and lead otherwise. The failure of a leader usually results in consequences far more grave than the fall of a non-leader. On the day Aaron failed, “about three thousand men of the people fell [died]” (Ex. 32:28). When leaders fail, followers pay the price.”

“One day when the Raiders were in Oakland, a reporter visited their locker room to talk to Ken Stabler. Stabler really wasn’t known as an intellectual, but he was a good quarterback. This newspaperman read him some English prose: “I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than that it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy, impermanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” After reading this to the quarterback, the reporter asked, “What does this mean to you?” Stabler immediately replied, “Throw deep.” Go after it. Go out to win in life.”

“If you can learn that, then no matter what happens to you, you can weather the storm and build on the good you find in any situation.”

“When you realize that people treat you according to how they see themselves rather than how you really are, you are less likely to be affected by their behavior. Your self-image will reflect who you are, not how you’re treated by others. You will not be riding an emotional roller roaster. This type of stability will have a tremendous effect on how you feel toward and deal with others. The key to successful relationships really gets down to responsibility. I am responsible for how I treat others. I may not be responsible for how they treat me, but I am responsible for my reaction to those who are difficult. I can’t choose how you’ll treat me, but I can choose how I will respond to you.”

“People need clear objectives set before them if they are to achieve anything of value.”

“Don’t let your mandate come from the grumbling of the crowd. Get your cues from God and the mission He has given you.”

“Question for God every morning: What is the main event today? What do you want me to focus on today?”

“Children now log about twenty-two thousand hours watching television by age nineteen, more than twice the time spent in school

“Jim Sundberg says, “Discover your uniqueness; then discipline yourself to develop it.”